Hammer



A. J. FINKE Feb. 15, 1966 HAMMER Filed April 15, 1963 .ullll l""' w a 4 M M 0 MM 1 United States Patent 3,234,981 HAMMER Arthur James Finke, 1908 Phillips Drive, Muncie, Ind. Filed Apr. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 272,905 3 Claims. (Cl. 14529) This invention relates generally to hammers and more particularly to a novel construction of a non-marring type of hammer.

Lead hammers are widely used where a heavy hammer with a comparatively soft striking surface is desired to avoid damage to the materials being hammered. However, there are several important disadvantages to conventional lead hammers. One of these disadvantages is the fact that even Where high quality lead materials are used in the hammer, it is not long before the faces of the hammer become dented and split. Further use of such a hammer results in chunks of the hammer head falling out or being thrown out as the hammer is used. The result is that such hammers must frequently be completely renewed or replaced.

A partial solution to these problems has been to provide hammers with weighted heads but having composition or plastic striking ends, However, in addition to being of rather expensive construction, such hammers frequently do not have the desired weight in a given size of hammer head. Therefore, they are unsatisfactory for many jobs where a high density, durable, and non-marring hammer head is necessary.

It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide an improved hammer.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved hammer head construction which combines the features of high density, durability, and little or no tendency to mar surfaces which are ordinarily struck by the hammer.

A further object is to provide a hammer achieving the foregoing objects and yet characterized by extremely low cost.

A further object is to provide a hammer achieving the foregoing objects and which can be readily renewed without any special equipment or molds.

A further object is to provide a hammer adaptable to the use of a wide variety of materials of construction.

Described briefly, .a typical embodiment of the present invention includes a tubular handle having a tubular member mounted to the end thereof and secured by a bolt. A dense metal body is poured into the tubular member which provides a sleeve for the body. The body extends the full length of the sleeve and is flush with the ends of the sleeve to complete the hammer head. An antishock grip is mounted to the handle opposite the head.

The full nature of the invention will be understood from the accompanying drawings and the following description and claims:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a typical embodiment of the present invention resting upon a table top with the handle supported in a horizontal position by a support block.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof with the table and the support block omitted.

FIG. 3 is an end view thereof, again with the table top and support block omitted, and with a portion broken away to show interior details.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, for example, include a handle portion 11 which may be made from three-quarter inch standard steel pipe. A typical dimension for the length of this pipe would be thirty inches, and a twelve inch long plastic grip 12 is secured to the exterior thereof adjacent one end of the handle. These dimensions and thqse mentioned hereinafter are for purposes of example on y.

At the opposite end of the handle, a head 13 is provided and includes a cylindrical tubular member in the form of a three inch I.D. aluminum sleeve which may be four and one-half inches long. Aluminum conduit is quite satisfactory for this purpose. Apertures 16 and 17 in the sleeve receive the handle and a steel bolt 18 passing through apertures in the sleeve and a transverse aperture in the handle secures the sleeve in position with respect to the handlev A poured lead body 19 is disposed inside the sleeve and around the handle. The body is coextensive with the sleeve and the upper and lower face-s 21 and 22, respectively, of the body are flush with the ends of the sleeve 14. A typical composition for the body is twothir-ds lead and one-third babbitt.

Because of the simple construction of the hammer of the present invention, it can easily be made. The sleeve is first assembled to the handle. The assembly is placed upon a fiat horizontal surface such as the top 23 of a table, for example. The end 24 of the sleeve will be flush with the table top and this condition will prevail around the circumference of the end if the handle grip is supported by a block 26 of suitable height. With the hammer resting in this position, the lead body can readily be poured through the upper open end 25 without the use of any special molds or funnels or other apparatus, It is only necessary that a slight downward force be applied to the handle or some other portion of the hammer to prevent the lead from flowing out under the edge 24 as it is poured into the sleeve. The application of a weight or a C-clamp at the point A on the handle is more than adequate to serve this purpose.

The sleeve is filled so that upon cooling of the lead the body extends the full height of the sleeve from the lower end 24 to the upper end 25. If the metal is of a composition such that shrinkage of the body exceeds that of the sleeve, a stainless putty can be temporarily placed around the open end for pouring to allow an excess of metal to be poured to compensate for shrinkage differential. If a fiat surface is not available for supporting the sleeve during pouring, stainless putty can be used around the lower end of the sleeve to prevent the molten metal from flowing out of the sleeve.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a wood handle 31 is used and a handle sleeve 32 is mounted on the handle adjacent to the head end. This sleeve may be made of any convenient material and standard pipe can be used, if desired. This sleeve is then inserted into the head sleeve 14 in the same manner as previously described with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3. It is secured by the bolt and nut assembly 18. This alternative construction provides a wood handle with additional shock absorbing qualities and yet prevents any possibility of burning the end received in the head sleeve When the lead is poured.

From the foregoing description, it should be apparent that the quality of material used in the body of this hammer can be considerably less than that required for conventional lead hammers, and yet shattering and disintegration on impact are avoided. Moreover, the body material can even have some impurities therein Whereas this cannot be tolerated in conventional lead hammers.

If, after a long period of use, the lead becomes dented and it is desirable to renew the hammer, all that is necessary is to melt out the lead body, replace the inexpensive sleeve and pour in the lead again.

Obviously the present invention permits selection of a wide variety of materials for different applications. The disclosed embodiment provides a hammer which is highly satisfactory for use in manufacture of transformer oil reservoirs. In transformer oil reservoirs, braces are tacked to the steel plates by hand welding and then are finish Welded by automatic welders. This causes some warping and kinking of the plates. In order to provide a neat and properly functioning finished product, it is desirable to hammer out the kinks and Warped area. The hammer of the present invention is completely satisfactory for this purpose and does not mar the finish of the plates While effectively straightening them. Conventional lead hammers disintegrate in short order and steel hammers are unsatisfactory because they damage the materials being hammered.

In addition to its utility in the construction of transformer oil tanks, the disclosed hammer is quite satisfactory for many other types of work including machine repair work, mold opening operations in tire plants, and other work. Variations in size and materials of construction, which can readily be made, adapt the hammer to employment in many other types of work. Also, the cross sectional shape of the handle and the tubular member providing the head sleeve may be other than circular if desired. It can be seen, therefore, that the present invention achieves all of the objects set out herein as well as others not specifically mentioned, and affords many advantages which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Therefore, while the invention has been disclosed and described in some detail in the drawings and foregoing description, they are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character, as modifications may readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in this art and within the broad scope of the invention, reference being had to the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:

1. A hammer comprising:

an elongate handle;

a cylindrical sleeve having its cylindrical axis disposed transversely of said handle, said sleeve having diametrically opposite apertures in the cylindrical wall thereof, each aperture receiving a portion of said handle;

and a fastener extending transversely of said sleeve and said handle and passing through apertures in said sleeve and said handle and securing said sleeve to said handle;

and a poured dense metal body solidified in place filling the space in said sleeve and embedding the portions of said handle and said fastener extending through the space in said sleeve, said body being coextensive with said sleeve to thereby provide striking faces at opposite ends of said sleeve, which striking faces are flush with the ends of said sleeve, said fastener securing said sleeve to said handle independently of said body.

2. A hammer comprising:

an elongate handle;

a sleeve having an axis of symmetry and having an aperture in a wall thereof receiving a portion of said handle, the axis of said sleeve being disposed transversely of said handle;

a bolt securing said sleeve to said handle, said bolt having a head at one end engaging the outer surface of the wall of said sleeve, and said bolt having a shank extending through the sleeve transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof and through an aperture in said handle transverse to said handle, and said bolt having a nut threadedly received on the end of said shank opposite the head, said nut engaging the outer surface of the wall of said sleeve, said nut being removable to facilitate removal of said bolt and sleeve from said handle when desired;

and a poured metal body disposed in said sleeve and coextensive therewith to thereby provide striking faces at opposite ends of said sleeve, which striking faces are fiush with the ends of said sleeve.

3. A hammer comprising:

an elongate handle including a combustible core member and a non-combustible sleeve surrounding said core member at an end thereof;

a cylindrical sleeve disposed transversely of said first sleeve and having diametrically opposite apertures in a wall thereof said apertures receiving said first sleeve;

a bolt having a shank with a head at one end and a nut threadedly received on the other end, the shank extending transversely to the axes of said handle and said cylindrical sleeve and through said sleeves and said handle, being received in apertures of said sleeves and said handle and securing said sleeves and handle together;

and a poured dense metal body disposed in said cylindrical sleeve and coextensive therewith and surrounding a portion of said first sleeve located within said cylindrical sleeve, said body providing striking faces flush with the ends of said cylindrical sleeve, and said bolt securing said sleeves and handle together independently of said body, and said nut being removable to facilitate removal of said bolt and said cylindrical sleeve from said handle and said first sleeve, when desired.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 103,706 5/1870 Bidwell l4536 X 1,548,603 8/1925 Hose 76-403 2,831,202 4/1958 Lay l4529 2,874,738 2/1959 Lay l4529 2,884,816 5/1959 Lay 76-103 2,980,154 4/ 1961 Williamson l4529 FOREIGN PATENTS 9,919 1908 Great Britain. 922,680 4/ 1963 Great Britain.

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, M. HENSON WOOD, JR.,

Examiners. 

1. A HAMMER COMPRISING: AN ELONGATE HANDLE; A CYLINDRICAL SLEEVE HAVING ITS CYLINDRICAL AXIS DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY OF SAID HANDLE, SAID SLEEVE HAVING DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE APERTURES IN THE CYLINDRICAL WALL THEREOF, EACH APERTURE RECEIVING A PORTION OF SAID HANDLE; AND A FASTENER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF SAID SLEEVE AND SAID HANDLE AND PASSING THROUGH APERTURES IN SAID SLEEVE AND SAID HANDLE AND SECURING SAID SLEEVE TO SAID HANDLE; AND A POURED DENSE METAL BODY SOLIDIFIED IN PLACE FILLING THE SPACE IN SAID SLEEVE AND EMBEDDING THE PORTIONS OF SAID HANDLE AND SAID FASTENER EXTENDING COEXTENSIVE THE SPACE IN SAID SLEEVE, SAID BODY BEING COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID SLEEVE TO THEREBY PROVIDE STRIKING FACES AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE, WHICH STRIKING FACES ARE FLUSH WITH THE ENDS OF SAID SLEEVE, SAID FASTENER SECURING SAID SLEEVE TO SAID HANDLE INDEPENDENTLY OF SAID BODY. 